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Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Real McCoy - Wholemeal Irish Soda Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know St. Patrick's Day is still weeks away, but I wanted to make sure that those of you who are tempted to try a real soda bread, have plenty of time to test recipes before selecting the one you'll finally use. I know it's hard to believe, but this is what a true Irish soda bread should look like. The addition of raisins, sugar and caraway is an English embellishment that produces a bread that should, more correctly, be called Spotted Dog. Irish peasants lived, for the most part, on a diet of potatoes, grains and milk. Bread appeared on their tables only during the summer, or "meal months", when potato stores had been exhausted. The bread was typically made in a lidded cast iron pot called a bastible, but in Northern Ireland it was shaped into a disk, called a farl, and scored with a cross to "let the devil out" as the bread rose and cooked. Our bread is devilishly good. This simple loaf is delicious when made with Irish wholemeal flour. Unfortunately, our (U.S.) whole wheat flour lacks the flavor of its Irish cousin and we have to fiddle and fudge to make a loaf that is anywhere near as flavorful. The good news is that it can be done by using a combination of flours, and boosting their flavor with oatmeal and wheat germ. The recipe I'm passing on to you was developed by Jeanne Lemlin and she has come up with a combination of grains that result in a typically Irish loaf. You'll find it to be wonderful, if you can clear your head and palate of long held notions of what a soda bread should be. There is nothing here but the flavor of the grain. One bite, and a slow and deliberate chew will convince you that nothing else is necessary. I love this and make it often. When we have guests, I serve it with Irish butter or a whipped cream cheese and a small platter of thinly sliced smoked salmon. I have, however, come to enjoy it completely unadorned. Plain or fancy, the bread should sit for 2 hours before slicing. It crumbles easily in the early stages of cooling, so it really needs this time to firm up. I really hope you'll try this bread. It is really wonderful. Like all soda breads, it stales quickly and is best enjoyed the day it is made. Here's the recipe.

Directions:
1) Move rack to center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
2) Whisk together flours, oats, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and toss to coat with flour. Then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir until dough is evenly moistened, but still lumpy.
3) Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour to prevent sticking, 1 minute (dough should remain soft and slightly sticky). Shape dough into a ball. Pat out dough on a lightly floured baking sheet into a 7-inch round. Dust dough with flour and spread lightly over round with your fingertips. Cut a 4- to 5-inch X (1/2 inch deep) in top of dough.
4) Bake in middle of oven until bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 35 minutes. Cool on a rack 2 hours before slicing. Yield: 1 loaf.

66 comments
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I love bread with oatmeal in it. When I was a girl my aunt would visit for weeks at a time and she'd bake and bake. One thing I loved was Porridge Bread - made with rolled oats. I can still taste it - nothing but butter on it - delicious!

Several years back, I had a good friend who was from Ireland, and his family opened a pub & restaurant that served real-deal soda bread. It was wonderful, and since the pub is no longer in existance, I'd love to try your bread!

Yes, we've turned Irish Soda Bread into something almost cake-like. How great that you've combined grains to get that deep, satisfying flavor. What a beautiful, caramel color you achieved. It must smell heavenly while baking.

I love that picture of the whole loaf. I guess this would be practically a meal in itself with some kind of hearty spread on it. Nothing else needed. Of course, I could live on bread alone, anyway. And just a little chocolate. But why spotted dog? I Googled it but finally gave up.

On my first trip to Ireland we were served the most wonderful bread with our lunch that I had ever eaten. I have to say I was amused when I asked our waiter what type of bread it was and he told me that it was soda bread. It was different and more delicious than any other soda bread I had ever eaten. You're right, there were no currants or raisins to be found. I've never added wheat germ to my bread but I will next time as that might just be the missing ingredient I have been looking for.

Mary, thanks for sharing this recipe. Although one whole branch of my family is Irish, we do not have a family recipe for Irish Soda Bread. I love the sound and looks of this one and will give it a try this year.

Mary, thanks so much for this great, hardy recipe. I've never had soda bread like this, only had the unconventional ones and this sounds actually better as a accompaniment to the corned beef and cabbage. I always thought the other ones were too sweet.

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